--- title: "WhatsApp starts charging South Africans – for the extras" url: https://daily.dev/posts/whatsapp-starts-charging-south-africans-for-the-extras-wng0khead source_url: https://techcentral.co.za/whatsapp-starts-charging-south-africans-for-the-extras/282872 type: article source: "TechCentral" published: 2026-06-19T08:54:23.436Z updated: 2026-06-19T08:55:34.756Z reading_time: 2 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # WhatsApp starts charging South Africans – for the extras **[TechCentral](https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Meta has launched WhatsApp Plus in South Africa at R28.99/month, with the first month free. The optional paid tier adds cosmetic and organizational features including exclusive sticker packs, custom app icons, new themes, ringtones, enhanced chat lists, and the ability to pin more chats. Core messaging features remain free. The local price is notably lower than the US$2.99 charged in the United States. Meta is also rolling out Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus globally, and testing Meta AI subscriptions, though those are not yet available in South Africa. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [WhatsApp to go premium with new Plus subscription](https://daily.dev/posts/whatsapp-to-go-premium-with-new-plus-subscription-0sgegeq7c) · TechCentral · 12 upvotes · 8 comments - [WhatsApp Plus subscription testing at EUR 2.49/month joins Instagram Plus in Meta's cross-app premium push](https://daily.dev/posts/whatsapp-plus-subscription-testing-at-eur-2-49-month-joins-instagram-plus-in-meta-s-cross-app-premiu-843jxrcew) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [WhatsApp is testing a premium subscription, put it is mainly cosmetic](https://daily.dev/posts/whatsapp-is-testing-a-premium-subscription-put-it-is-mainly-cosmetic-ue9q9sldh) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Meta launches Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp subscriptions, with more to come, including AI plans](https://daily.dev/posts/meta-launches-instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp-subscriptions-with-more-to-come-including-ai-plans-4emdx0v8l) · TechCrunch · 2 upvotes · 1 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/whatsapp-starts-charging-south-africans-for-the-extras-wng0khead)